Major Policies
Major polices are cards that GEO's agents can enact once GEO's headquarters have been established. =Global Bans= These work like regional bans, but are applied to all 12 regions at once. Bans help reduce emissions, but can cause energy shortages. Public opinion on them depends on regional outlooks: green regions support bans, while materialist ones oppose them. Global Ban: 1st Gen Biofuels *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: 1st generation biofuels are of little energy benefit and use vast amounts of cereal crops that could otherwise feed the world's hungry. Stop their use worldwide. *Requires: Having a regional energy office in the GEO HQ region. Global Ban: 2nd Gen Biofuels *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: 2nd Gen biofuels are less impactful on food supplies than 1st Gen, but still compete with food-crops and destroy marginal land. Block use of these fuels. *Requires: Having a regional energy office in the GEO HQ region. Global Ban: 3rd Gen Biofuels *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: 3rd Generation biofuels are effective, but it is immoral to prioritise luxuries over global hunger. Enact a worldwide ban. *Requires: Having a regional energy office in the GEO HQ region. Global Ban: All Natural Gas *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: Natural gas is less emitting than oil and coal, but if we're to limit warming we have to stop using any fuel that emits CO2. Completely ban all natural gas use. *Requires: Having a regional energy office in the GEO HQ region. Global Ban: Clathrate Exploitation *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: Clathrate deposits of methane are too volatile and dangerous for us to mine. The pay-off simply isn't worth the risk. Place a worldwide curtailment on their use. *Requires: Having a regional energy office in the GEO HQ region. It's usually a very good idea to ban clathrate exploitation as soon as possible, due to the dangers involved. Once artificial intelligence becomes available, AIs will make clathrate exploitation safe. After that, the global ban can be replaced with regional bans in all regions without AI. Global Ban: Coal Production *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: Coal is a horrifically polluting fuel, and the cause of any number of environmental ills. Do without this toxic nightmare! *Requires: Having a regional energy office in the GEO HQ region. Global Ban: Conventional Oil *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: We can't afford to use every drop of oil if we're to stop climate change. Blanket ban use of conventional oil. *Requires: Having a regional energy office in the GEO HQ region. Global Ban: Nuclear Fission *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: Fission generates toxic by-products and proliferates material for nuclear weapons. Take the safest course and ban its use everywhere. *Requires: Having a regional energy office in the GEO HQ region. Global Ban: Shale & Tight Gas *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: Extraction of shale gas contaminates water supplies. Shale and tight gas may be a good source of fuel, but they're not sustainable. Ban their use completely. *Requires: Having a regional energy office in the GEO HQ region. Global Ban: Unconventional Oil *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: Tar sands and oil shales are a poisoned chalice, thanks to the carbon emissions associated with their reclamation. Direct mankind to live without them. *Requires: Having a regional energy office in the GEO HQ region. Lift Global Ban *Cost: $25 *Time: 5 years *Support: Varies *Description: Varies *Requires: A global ban. This undoes a global ban. Regional bans will still remain in place. =Space programs= International Space Programme *Cost: $100 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: Our solar system offers vast resources, and a chance to secure the long-term future of humanity. Reinvigorate space exploration! *Requires: N/A Playing this card is the basic requirement for all space-based activities. Asteroid Mining *Cost: $100 *Time: 10 years *Support: None *Description: Dispatch robotic probes under AI guidance into space to harvest valuable elements from nearby asteroids. Will supply orbital factories with resources for further space projects. *Requires: 2nd-Generation Nanotechnology (does not require Artificial Intelligence, despite the description.) The turn after this card is played, asteroid mining probes are launched. On the turn after that, the game checks to see if the probes are successful. There's a 50% chance that the mission fails due to a network malfunction between the probes. Currently, mining asteroids does nothing mechanical, such as boosting resources. However, mining asteroids is a requirement for building an orbital factory. Orbital Factory *Cost: $200 *Time: 10 years *Support: None *Description: Instigate the building of an orbital factory controlled by AI, and using nanobots as its workforce. Will fabricate solar shields and collectors, and long-range exploration craft. *Requires: Asteroid Mining The turn after this card is played, construction begins on an orbital space facotry. On the turn after that, the game checks to see if the construction is successful. There's a 50% chance that the factory fails due to a "minor disaster." Currently, the orbital factory does nothing mechanical, such as boosting global industry output. However, an orbital factory is a requirement for building the Star Ark. Star Ark *Cost: $2000 *Time: 5 years *Support: None *Description: This deep space vessel will go far beyond our solar system, piloted by AI. On board - frozen human eggs, awaiting birth on a new world. Gives humanity a second home. You win! *Requires: Nanomedicine, Artificial Intelligence, a functioning Orbital Factory The turn after this card is played, you automatically win the scenario, regardless of conditions on Earth. Deploy Space Shields *Cost: $0 *Time: 5 years *Support: N/A *Description: Initiate a brave program to position polarised shields between the Earth and the Sun, deflecting heat away from our world. *Requires: An operational Orbital Factory and a Materials research value of 9999 in the GEO HQ region. The turn after this card is played, mirror-like shields will be put in place around the planet to deflect excessive sunlight. There's a 25% chance that the project will be /too/ successful, plummeting Earth into a new ice age. If not, the project will be just successful enough to halt and even reverse the effects of global warming. Or it would, presumably, if this card were active. Given the absurdly high research value needed and the fact that neither the project's success or failure seems to have any effect on the game, it's safe to say that this card is either a scrapped idea or an as-of-yet unimplemented one. Manned Mission To Mars *Cost: $75 *Time: 10 years *Support: None *Description: This will require a massive investment of time, money, and resources, but may be the next step to exploiting our solar system. Could allow colonization of Mars. Risks lives and might not succeed. The turn after this card is played, the Mars mission launches. On the next turn (10 years after the card was activated), the game checks to see if it succeeded. There's a 75% chance that the mission fails. Currently, the Mars mission does nothing but allow GEO to attempt establishing a colony on Mars. There's no consequences for the mission failing. Marsbase *Cost: $100 *Time: 10 years *Support: None *Description: Approve a mission to found a base in the Wendy cavern on the flanks of Arsia Mons. Colonise Mars. Risks lives and might not succeed. *Requires: 1st-Generation Nanotechnology The turn after this card is played, the Mars colony ship launches. On the next turn (10 years after the card was activated), the game checks to see if it succeeded. There's a 50% chance that the mission fails due to unexplained miscarriages and a further 50% chance that it fails due to an outbreak of disease, leaving only a 25% chance total that the colony succeeds. Currently, the Marsbase does nothing; it brings no reward for success or consequence for failure. Moonbase Alpha *Cost: $75 *Time: 10 years *Support: N/A *Description: Approve a mission to build "Moonbase Alpha." *Requires: Access to 1st-gen Nanotechnology in the GEO HQ region. The turn after this card is played, the lunar colony ship launches. On the next turn (10 years after the card was activated), the game checks to see if it succeeded. There's a 50% chance that the colony fails due to decompression and a 50% chance that it fails due to a colonist becoming homicidal, leaving only a 25% chance total that the colony succeeds. Currently, the Moonbase does nothing mechanical; it brings no reward for success or consequence for failure. However, establishing a Moonbase is a requirement for mining helium-3 from the lunar surface. Lunar He3 Extraction *Cost: $50 *Time: 10 years *Support: N/A *Description: Approve a mission to extract Helium-3 from the lunar surface, provide fuel for 2nd Gen He3 fusion, solving energy problems. *Requires: The establishment of Moonbase Alpha. The turn after this card is played, a mining vessel will be launched to the moon to search for veins of helium-3. There's a 50% chance that they won't find any significant sources, requiring GEO to try again. For one turn after the mining mission is launched (or every turn after the mining mission is successful), the Earth will receive shipments of helium-3, the fuel required for 2nd-generation fusion reactions. This allows fusion power to expand by 1.8% a turn instead of the usual 0.36%. Bug: The message for successfully finding helium-3 on the moon will play every turn once the card is successful, not just on the turn it occurs. SETI Orbital Array *Cost: $75 *Time: 5 years (plus a chance of a 10 year chain of events) *Support: N/A *Description: Constructing radio telescopes in space will push up the likelihood of answering the eternal question - are we alone? Give SETI the money to pull this off. *Requires: N/A The turn after this card is played, the SETI array is constructed. On every turn after that, there's a 2% chance that the array will detect transmissions several hundred light years away. The next turn, the array will pick up data containing images of the alien solar system and mathematical and physical concepts, indicating intelligent life. However, on the following turn, all contact suddenly ceases and can't be re-established. Currently, proof of intelligent alien life does nothing mechanical, such as giving extra support. In addition, the chain of events always stops with the sudden loss of contact. Space Solar Collectors *Cost: $100 *Time: 10 years *Support: N/A *Description: Commence construction of super-orbital solar collectors. These will harvest solar power and transmit the energy to other space facilities or down to Earth. *Requires: Access to Solar Photovoltaic Cell technology and 1st-gen Nanotechnology in the GEO HQ region. This card builds an orbital array to collect solar energy and beam it to the planet as electricity. Because land use and weather aren't an issue for the array, it gives every region an instant 10% boost in the fraction of electricity that comes from solar energy. There's two unimplemented events related to the solar array; a 20% chance of a technical glitch in the array causing blackouts in a region and a 10% chance of one of the array's solar beams missing its mark and basking a city in concentrated solar energy. Neither of these events have any effect. =Others= International Climate Refugee Treaty *Cost: $30 *Time: 5 years *Support: -2 in nationalist regions *Description: Grant refugee status to Migrants displaced by environmental collapse. *Requires: N/A This card greatly simplifies the immigration process, allowing for mass relocation of entire communities. Intervention: *Cost: $250 *Time: Varies *Support: +50 *Description: A region's despotic rulers have banned the GEO, in defiance of international treaties. Dispatch a peace-keeping force to assist democratic elements to regain control. *Requires: Being banned in a region and having a political office in the GEO HQ region. Interventions send military forces to take over a region that has banned GEO. Every turn after an intervention starts, there's a 50% chance that the region will successfully be taken over, unbanning GEO and providing +1000 support in the conquered region. If the intervention doesn't succeed, support will fall by -200 and GEO will have to try again on the next turn. New Green Deal *Cost: $200 *Time: 5 years *Support: +100 in every region *Description: With attitudes shifting towards sustainability, it's time for a constitution that guarantees health care, education and income for all the world's citizens. *Requires: Average global outlook to be balanced or greener. When initiated, the New Green Deal will push the outlook of all regions 2 points closer to green and will dramatically reduce global HDI expectations. This has the effect of making the population of the world happier and more content with their lives. Personality Cult *Cost: $25 *Time: Infinite *Support: +100 *Description: No sociopathic dictator likes to have their HQ stormed by an unruly mob of ill-smelling proles. Persuade the natives of the region that you are a living deity, making this unhappy event less likely. *Requires: An evil score of 6 or more. Every turn this card is active, the headquarters region will gain 100 support, regardless of other actions taking place in it. This makes it much less likely for the region to ban GEO. Police Nuclear Material *Cost: $60 *Time: Infinite *Support: N/A *Description: Preserve nuclear weapon asymmetry to make the world safer overall. *Requires: 4th generation nuclear technology and a political office in the GEO headquarters region. While this card is active, nuclear wars won't occur. In highly unstable regions, GEO crackdowns on nuclear weapon facilities will reduce industry by 2%, kill off 0.5% of the workforce, and encourage people in the region to emigrate away.